Jackson's utaka

Copadichromis jacksoni

Also known as Jacksoni hap

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 7.5–8.5
Adult size: 7.1 in (18 cm)
Minimum tank: 79 gal (300 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Lake Malawi
Family: Cichlidae

Overview

This is a large but gentle plankton feeding utaka for the upper part of a peaceful Malawi community. Keep it as a group, ideally with more females than males, and let the school settle its own order rather than fixing on one fish. It cruises open midwater above the rocks, so leave clear swimming room. It gets on with other calm haps and peacocks of its size, so a species tank is not required, though a male will hold a display site over a boulder when breeding. A group needs a tank of around 300 liters or more with length and depth. Its diet is small planktonic foods, so offer good flake and micro pellet alongside frozen mysis, cyclops, and brine shrimp.

In the wild

Jackson's utaka lives in the sheltered bays of Lake Malawi, schooling in open water close to steep, rocky shores where it breeds. Give it hard, alkaline water at 24–27 C and around pH 7.5–8.5, with rock along the back forming the drop off it patrols and a wide area of open water to swim in. A sandy floor and a few large boulders where a male can display complete the layout.

Good to know

Copadichromis jacksoni is a member of the family Cichlidae reaching about 18 centimeters, one of the larger utaka, the plankton feeding cichlids of Lake Malawi. It gathers in schools in open water but breeds on steep rocky shores, where a male defends a territory over a large boulder and displays to passing females. It is a maternal mouthbrooder, and breeding it is of moderate difficulty.

Did you know

The name jacksoni most likely honors Peter Jackson, a fisheries scientist who surveyed the fishes of Lake Malawi in the mid twentieth century, though the describer never spelled out who was meant.

Tank mates

Jackson's utaka is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.